Since the so-called "new era" of Survivor began, there has been a noticeable feeling of frustration that has existed amongst the show's most passionate fans.
There are many reasons for the negativity, including the show's challenges becoming formulaic and the recent Parvati Shallow scandal that Jeff Probst distanced himself from after it angered many people. On top of that, there is no denying that many of Survivor's "new era" seasons have felt indistinguishable from each other.
Given that there are many valid complaints about the current state of Survivor, it often feels like many fans have become very outspoken about the show going downhill. While I agree that some aspects of Jeff Probst's show need to be turned around for the better, I would still argue that Survivor is the best reality show ever produced.
Why Survivor is still the greatest reality show ever
If I could sit down and talk with Jeff Probst after getting him to take me seriously, there are several aspects of Survivor that I would try to convince him to change. While I hope that the team behind Survivor is listening to fans and taking the most common complaints seriously, I still think that it is worthwhile to marvel at how amazing the show is.
The first aspect of Survivor that I really think deserves to be celebrated a lot more is how incredibly impressive the show's production team is. Anyone who has tried to capture footage and audio outside on a day with extreme weather should be able to recognize how staggering it is that Survivor looks and sounds so good as a TV show.
Another thing that makes Survivor the best reality show ever is the fact that the show has a truly incredible casting department. For proof of that, all anyone has to do is look at how many former players are now appearing on other reality shows. Even if fans ignore the Survivor icons from the past, the "new era" has featured many entertaining players. For example, Maryanne Oketch, Dee Valladares, Yam Yam Arocho, Jesse Lopez, Carolyn Wiger, Ricard Foye, and Omar Zaheer are only some examples of recent players who were extremely entertaining.
I also think that Jeff Probst's place in reality show history deserves to be given the utmost respect. After being solely hired as a host, the fact that he went on to take so much authority over the show makes him unique in the genre. As the show's boss, that gives Probst's hosting a lot more gravitas, since his word means so much more than the remarks of a figurehead. On top of that, even if many fans bristle at some of the changes they blame Probst for, you have to respect that he has played a key role in a reality show that has aired for more than 25 years.
Finally, the fact that Survivor has such a brilliant core concept is something that fans take for granted. While it is totally understandable for viewers not to spend a lot of time reflecting on Survivor's synopsis as they watch the show, fans should occasionally reflect on how amazing the show is in that regard.
The idea that the show finds a motley crew of people and drops them in a tropical paradise where they have to battle each other for $1 million sounds like something out of a fever dream. Despite that, Survivor makes that scenario that sounds like a fantasy and makes it a reality.